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From Log Cabin to US President

Several presidents were born in or lived in log cabins. Students will learn about them and create a miniature replica of this rustic dwelling.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Recycled Cardboard Box

Steps

  • Step 1

    At least nine presidents were born in log cabins. Ask students if they can name any of them. Abraham Lincoln will certainly come to mind and maybe Andrew Jackson and James Garfield. Have students find out who the other six were. Have them also learn some of the symbolism of the log cabin in politics and in general. For example, William Henry Harrison, elected in 1840, made the log cabin a symbol of his campaign to show he was a man of the people. (He was actually born into wealth and his family lived in mansion!) Log cabins also represented the original pioneering spirit of early Americans.

  • Step 2

    Ask students to learn about some of the structural features of log cabins in the 1800s. What kind of wood provided a solid structure? Were nails used? What was used to fill the gaps between the logs to keep out the cold as well as insects and snakes? Where was the fireplace/chimney placed? Were the roofs always gabled? Have them also learn about some of the household items that would have been present.

  • Step 3

    Have students create a replica of a log cabin out of Model Magic. They can use a small recycled box as an armature on which to build the home. They might also use something smaller such as a miniature snack box as an armature for the chimney. They can cut the strips of Model Magic into roof tiles. They can roll "logs" of Model Magic and add small amounts in a different color between them as they build the cabin to represent the chinking (the material, whether leaves, twigs, clay, or any combination used to fill the gaps).

  • Step 4

    Ask students to present their log cabins and discuss what life might have been like in these rustic dwellings.

Standards

SS: Time, Continuity, and Change: Read, reconstruct, and interpret the past. Imagine the future. Place oneself in various times and spaces and reflect on change.

Adaptations

No matter where they're born, U.S. presidents will live in the White House once they take office. Have students investigate the history of this official home originally referred to as the President's House or the Executive Mansion. Who designed it? When was it built? Who was involved in its construction? Who was the first president to live there?

Have students explore the presence of log cabins in the arts and society. They might look at the 1836 painting by Thomas Cole called "Daniel Boone Sitting at the Door of His Cabin on the Great Osage Lake" or the 1868 painting by Frances Flora Bond Palmer called "Across the Continent: Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way." And Lincoln Logs were popular in the early 20th century. This is a construction toy invented by John Lloyd Wright (Frank Lloyd Wright's son) and inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1999.